Structural reinforcing system components

ABSTRACT

A structural reinforcing panel system for reinforcing a structure against lateral or shear and uplift loads. The system includes a structural reinforcing panel which is installed between the studs in a wall of the structure. The panel is connected to the foundation of the structure and the sill or header. Two or more panels may be connected together at a corner, within a wall, ceiling or floor. The roof rafters of the structure may be attached to a top plate bracket mounted to the sill plate, which may also be connected to one or more structural reinforcing panels, provides uplift load support for the structure. For structures built on piers, a pier mount bracket provides a linkage to one or more structural reinforcing panels.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/500,120,filed Aug. 7, 2006, which claims the benefit of provisional applicationSer. No. 60/706,195, filed Aug. 5, 2005, entitled STRUCTURAL REINFORCINGSYSTEM COMPONENTS.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to structural components for buildingsand, more particularly, to components of a structural reinforcing systemfor reducing the affects of shear and uplift forces on a buildingstructure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The majority of the buildings in the United States are residential orlow-rise commercial buildings consisting of a wood frame or light-steelframe structure with wood or composition sheathing. The structure isdesigned to withstand the anticipated loading conditions such as rain,snow and wind. Forces and loads such as gravity, rain and snow actvertically and typically are generally predictable. Accordingly,structural designs to withstand these forces are readily available.

Lateral or shear and uplift loads such as is caused by wind, storms,hurricanes and tornadoes are difficult to predict in direction,magnitude and frequency. In a conventional framed building construction,the vertical loads are handled by the frame including studs, joists,rafters, and trusses. The lateral shear loads are dealt with usingsheathing attached to the frame. In areas that have a higher risk ofsevere weather, such as hurricanes along the East and Gulf coasts, twolayers of sheathing may be required to withstand the increased potentialloads along with rafter clips and cables to prevent the roof fromdetaching from the framed walls.

SUMMARY

The present invention includes structural reinforcing components tocounter lateral shear loads and uplift forces. The components may beused separately or as a system to provide structural integrity asnecessary. A structural reinforcing panel includes a back panel, sidepanels and upper and lower anchor plates. The side panels are fastenedto the building structural frame members such as wall studs, ceiling andfloor joists or to an adjacent structural reinforcing panel. The loweranchor plate is anchored to the top of a concrete basement wall, aconcrete footing, or a pier mounting bracket, for example. The topanchor plate may be connected to the wall header, to another structuralreinforcing panel or to a top plate truss mount. The top plate trussmount may include a top sill plate and a series of vertical strapsconnected to the rafters of the roof. The structural reinforcing panelmay be mounted in the ceiling of a room in conjunction with panelsmounted in the walls to provide a safe room within a wood-framestructure, for example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the structural reinforcing panel of the presentinvention prior to assembly.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the structural reinforcing panel ofFIG. 1 formed and assembled.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the structural reinforcing panelof FIG. 2 mounted between two wall studs.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the structural reinforcing panel of FIG.2.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of another embodiment of the structuralreinforcing panel of the present invention prior to assembly.

FIG. 6 is a top cross sectional view of a corner installation of twostructural reinforcing panels.

FIG. 7 is a partial front elevational view of a structural reinforcingpanel and a panel mount.

FIG. 8 is a partial side cross sectional view of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a partial front elevational view of two structural reinforcingpanels and a floor-to-floor panel mount.

FIG. 10 is a partial side cross sectional view of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of the structural reinforcingpanel and a top plate truss mount.

FIG. 11A is a perspective view of a top plate truss mount bracket.

FIG. 12 is a partial front elevational view of a structural reinforcingpanel and a single pier mount.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the single pier mount of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a partial front elevational view of a structural reinforcingpanel and a double pier mount.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, a structural reinforcing panel is generallyindicated by reference numeral 20. Structural reinforcing panel 20 maybe assembled from the various parts shown in FIG. 1 formed in part fromcold or hot rolled steel. Structural reinforcing panel 20 includes aback panel 22 which is folded along lines 24 and 26 to form side panels28 and 30 to form a tray or channel. The back panel 22 has two cutouts32 and 34 which reduce the weight of the structural reinforcing panel20, make it easier to carry, and the removed material can be used tofabricate the additional components.

The sides 28 and 30 include a plurality of holes (not shown) forfasteners 36 to attach the panel 20 to framing members 38 or to otherpanels. When attaching to framing members 38, lag bolts may be used, forexample. When attaching to other panels 20, a machine bolt and nut maybe used. Cut outs 38 are also provided in sides 28 and 30 for mechanicalaccess such as electrical or plumbing.

Upper 40 and lower 42 anchor plates are preferably welded to the top andbottom of back panel 22 and sides 28 and 30. The anchor plates 40 and 42include a plurality of holes 44 to permit the panel to be secured inplace with anchor bolts 46 and 48. A top plate 50 may be included alongthe top of the sill plate 52.

Corner gussets 54 may be placed along the front edges of the panel 20and welded to the anchor plates 40 and 42 and the side panels 28 and 30to reinforce the panel 20 and limit deflections.

The completed panel 20 may be left as uncoated metal or may be paintedor otherwise coated. The panel 20 may be made from ¼″ to ½″ steel plate.

A safe room may be constructed by installing structural reinforcingpanels 20 between each of the framing members 38 of a room. In thepreferred embodiment for a safe room, the back panel 22 is solid with nocutouts to prevent projectiles from traveling through the wall andcutout. The panels 20 may be installed in the walls and ceiling,preferably on the first floor of a structure. The ceiling panels may bebolted directly to the header or top plate of the wall. The ceilingpanels may be fabricated to span the width of the room. Alternatively,two or more panels 20 may be bolted together end-to-end to span thewidth of the room.

Referring to FIG. 5, another embodiment of a structural reinforcingpanel is generally indicated by reference numeral 60. Panel 60 includesa back plate 62, side panels 64 and 66 formed by folding the back panel62 along fold lines 68 and 70, and anchor panels 72 and 74 formed byfolding back panel 62 along fold lines 76 and 78. The anchor panels 72and 74 are then welded along the corner intersections with side panels64 and 66. Corner gussets 80 are welded into the corners of the panel 60to provide additional lateral stability and strength.

Referring to FIG. 6, two structural reinforcing panels 20 may beconnected together in a corner 82 to reinforce the corner of thestructure. A length of angle iron 84 is positioned behind the cornerstuds 86 and 88. Bolts 90 extend through apertures in the angle iron 84through apertures in the studs 86 and 88 and panels 20. Once the bolts90 are tightened, the panels 20 form a rigid structurally reinforcedcorner which provides both uplift and lateral sheer strength to thestructure.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a panel mount 100 may be used to securestructural reinforcing panel 20 to the building structure 102 whenanchoring through the sill plate is not possible (See FIG. 3). Panelmount 100 is a steel plate with holes for bolts 104 and 106. Bolts 104connect the panel mount 100 to panel 20. Bolts 106 secure the panelmount 100 to the header 108. The panel mount 100 may be installed ateither the top or bottom of the structural reinforcing panel 20 asneeded.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, an extended panel mount 110 may be used tosecure structural reinforcing panels 20A and 20B between a floor 112.The extended panel mount 110 is bolted to the top portion of onestructural reinforcing panel 20A, to the header 114 and to the lowerportion of the upper structural reinforcing panel 20B.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 11A, a top plate truss mount is generallyindicated by reference numeral 120. Top plate truss mount 120 is placedon the top plate 122 of wall 124. Top plate truss mount 120 includes aseries of spaced apart vertical straps 126 with apertures 128. Thevertical straps 126 may be spaced according to the required truss 130spacing. The truss 130 is bolted or otherwise fastened to the verticalstraps 126 through apertures 128. Top plate truss mount 120 alsoincludes a plurality of apertures 132, which are aligned with theapertures 44 (see FIGS. 1, 3 and 4) in panel 20. The top plate trussmount 120 is bolted to the structural reinforcing panel 20 and may alsobe fastened to the top plate 122 to prevent uplift of the roof underhigh wind conditions.

One or more brackets 140 may be used along the top plate to secure thetruss 130 to the top plate 122 of wall 124. Top plate truss mountbracket 140 includes a plurality of apertures 142, which are alignedwith the apertures 44 (see FIGS. 1, 3 and 4) in panel 20. The truss 130is bolted or otherwise fastened to the vertical straps 144 throughapertures 146. The top plate truss mount bracket 140 is fastened to thestructural reinforcing panel 20 and top plate 122 to prevent uplift ofthe roof under high wind conditions.

The structural reinforcing panels 20 may be used individually in a wallor may be used as multiples depending on the lateral shear and upliftrequirements of the structure. By connecting two or more panels 20together the lateral shear and uplift loads that the structure canhandle is greatly increased. The panel 20 may be sized to fit within thespacing of the frame members in both width and height.

Installation of the structural reinforcing panels 20 in a single ormulti-story structure reduces the need for additional sheathing andother bracing materials needed to build in various code municipalitiesand can increase the shear and uplift values from 35% to 96% dependingon the number of panels 20 used.

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, a pier mount plate 140 may be used toanchor the structure reinforcing panel 20 to a pier 142. The pier mountplate 140 includes a front plate 144, a back plate 146, a bottom plate148 and a pair of gussets 150 and 152. Bot 148 and gussets 150 and 152are welded together and then welded to front plate 144. The front 144and back 146 plates are bolted to the pier 142. An anchor bolt orthreaded rod 154 extends from a structural reinforcing panel 20 throughthe floor joist 156 to the bottom plate 148.

Referring to FIG. 14, a double pier mount plate 160 may be used toanchor two structural reinforcing panels 20 to a pier 142. The doublepier mount plate 160 includes opposed plates 162 and 164 each having abottom plate 166 and 168 and a pair of gussets 170 and 172.

It is to be understood that while certain forms of this invention havebeen illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto, except in sofar as such limitations are included in the following claims andallowable equivalents thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is as follows:
 1. In combination with abuilding having a wood-frame structure comprising spaced-apart studs, asill plate, a footing and ceiling and floor joists, a structuralreinforcing panel for placement between the spaced-apart ceiling and/orfloor joists comprising: a rectangular back panel having a top, bottom,longitudinal sides and at least one cutout, a pair of rectangular sidepanels each having a longitudinal edge, said pair of rectangular sidepanels each attached along said longitudinal edge to one of saidlongitudinal sides of said rectangular back panel, an first anchor platesecured to said top of said rectangular back panel and a top edge ofeach of said pair of rectangular side panels, a second anchor platesecured to said bottom of said rectangular back panel and a bottom edgeof each of said pair of rectangular side panels forming an open uprightbox, each of said rectangular side panels having a plurality ofapertures receiving fasteners therethrough securing the structuralreinforcing panel to a pair of the joists, one or more cutouts forutility access in each of said pair of rectangular side panels, saidupper anchor plate having a plurality of apertures receiving fastenerstherethrough securing the structural reinforcing panel to a first sillplate of the building, said lower anchor plate having a plurality ofapertures receiving fasteners therethrough securing the structuralreinforcing panel to a second sill plate of the building opposite thefirst sill plate, and first and second pairs of gussets secured inopposing upper and lower corners of said open upright box to reinforcesaid upright box, wherein said structural reinforcing panel isconstructed of steel plate, and wherein said structural reinforcingpanel forms an open rectangular box fitted between and fastened to apair of the spaced-apart joists, and first and second sill plates of thebuilding thereby increasing the shear force and uplift force load valuesfor the building.
 2. The combination set forth in claim 1 furthercomprising a plurality of structural reinforcing panels secured betweena plurality of pairs of spaced-apart ceiling joists and sill plates ofthe building.
 3. The combination set forth in claim 1 further comprisinga plurality of structural reinforcing panels secured between a pluralityof pairs of spaced-apart floor joists and footings of the building. 4.The combination set forth in claim 1 further comprising a structuralreinforcing panel secured between a pair of spaced-apart studs, the sillplate and the footing of the building.
 5. The combination set forth inclaim 4 further comprising a plurality of structural reinforcing panelssecured between a plurality of pairs of spaced-apart studs, sill platesand footings of the building.
 6. The combination set forth in claim 1further comprising a plurality of structural reinforcing panels securedbetween a plurality of pairs of spaced-apart studs, sill plates andfootings, a plurality of ceiling joists and sill plates, and a pluralityof floor joists and footings of the building.
 7. The combination setforth in claim 6 wherein said shear force and uplift force load valuesfor the building are increased between 35% and 96%.
 8. In combinationwith a building having a wood-frame structure comprising spaced-apartstuds, sill plates, footings, ceiling and floor joists, and a roof withrafters, a structural reinforcing panel comprising: a rectangular backpanel having a top, bottom, longitudinal sides and at least one cutout,a pair of rectangular side panels each having a longitudinal edge, saidpair of rectangular side panels each attached along said longitudinaledge to one of said longitudinal sides of said rectangular back panel,an first anchor plate secured to said top of said rectangular back paneland a top edge of each of said pair of rectangular side panels, a secondanchor plate secured to said bottom of said rectangular back panel and abottom edge of each of said pair of rectangular side panels forming anopen upright box, each of said rectangular side panels having aplurality of apertures receiving fasteners therethrough securing thestructural reinforcing panel to a pair of the joists, one or morecutouts for utility access in each of said pair of rectangular sidepanels, said upper anchor plate having a plurality of aperturesreceiving fasteners therethrough securing the structural reinforcingpanel to a first sill plate of the building, said lower anchor platehaving a plurality of apertures receiving fasteners therethroughsecuring the structural reinforcing panel to a second sill plate of thebuilding opposite the first sill plate, first and second pairs ofgussets secured in opposing upper and lower corners of said open uprightbox to reinforce said upright box, a top plate truss mount brackethaving a plurality of apertures receiving fasteners therethroughsecuring the top plate truss mount bracket to the first sill plate ofthe building and to the roof rafters, wherein said structuralreinforcing panel is constructed of steel plate, and wherein saidstructural reinforcing panel forms an open rectangular box fittedbetween and fastened to a pair of the spaced-apart joists, and first andsecond sill plates of the building thereby increasing the shear forceand uplift force load values for the building.
 9. The combination setforth in claim 8 further comprising a plurality of structuralreinforcing panels secured between a plurality of pairs of spaced-apartceiling joists and sill plates of the building.
 10. The combination setforth in claim 8 further comprising a plurality of structuralreinforcing panels secured between a plurality of pairs of spaced-apartfloor joists and footings of the building.
 11. The combination set forthin claim 8 further comprising a structural reinforcing panel securedbetween a pair of spaced-apart studs, the sill plate and the footing ofthe building.
 12. The combination set forth in claim 11 furthercomprising a plurality of structural reinforcing panels secured betweena plurality of pairs of spaced-apart studs, sill plates and footings ofthe building.
 13. The combination set forth in claim 8 furthercomprising a plurality of structural reinforcing panels secured betweena plurality of pairs of spaced-apart studs, sill plates and footings, aplurality of ceiling joists and sill plates, and a plurality of floorjoists and footings of the building.
 14. The combination set forth inclaim 11 further comprising a plurality of top plate truss mountedbrackets secured between a plurality sill plates and rafters of thebuilding.
 15. The combination set forth in claim 14 wherein said shearforce and uplift force load values for the building are increasedbetween 35% and 96%.
 16. In combination with a building having awood-frame structure comprising spaced-apart studs, sill plates,footings, ceiling and floor joists, and a roof with rafters, astructural reinforcing panel comprising: a rectangular back panel havinga top, bottom, longitudinal sides and at least one cutout, a pair ofrectangular side panels each having a longitudinal edge, said pair ofrectangular side panels each attached along said longitudinal edge toone of said longitudinal sides of said rectangular back panel, an firstanchor plate secured to said top of said rectangular back panel and atop edge of each of said pair of rectangular side panels, a secondanchor plate secured to said bottom of said rectangular back panel and abottom edge of each of said pair of rectangular side panels forming anopen upright box, each of said rectangular side panels having aplurality of apertures receiving fasteners therethrough securing thestructural reinforcing panel to a pair of the joists, one or morecutouts for utility access in each of said pair of rectangular sidepanels, said upper anchor plate having a plurality of aperturesreceiving fasteners therethrough, said lower anchor plate having aplurality of apertures receiving fasteners therethrough, first andsecond pairs of gussets secured in opposing upper and lower corners ofsaid open upright box to reinforce said upright box, a top plate trussmount bracket having a plurality of apertures receiving fastenerstherethrough, wherein said structural reinforcing panel is constructedof steel plate, wherein a plurality of structural reinforcing panels aresecured between pairs of studs in the structure, wherein a plurality ofstructural reinforcing panels are secured between pairs of ceilingjoists in the structure, wherein a plurality of structural reinforcingpanels are secured between pairs of floor joists in the structure,wherein a plurality of top plate truss mount brackets are secured tosill plates and roof of the structure, and wherein said structuralreinforcing panels and top plate truss mount brackets increase the shearforce and uplift force load values for the structure.